OH MY GOSH!!!!
I just had the scariest experience in Academy today! I took my Grandad's old Remington 721 in to have my new-to-me Redfield scope installed. I know, I know... I had already expressed misgivings about the quality of service available in Academy. I really just should have gone to Euless Guns & Ammo and skipped Academy. There's a lesson in there somewhere about going with your instincts.
Anyway, here's how it went down.
I walked into the Academy on N Tarratn Pkwy in Watauga. A service person checked to see that the rifle was unlaoded and then called someone form the gun counter to come back and get the rifle. He took the gun and we walked up to the gun counter. He took the gun out of the case and put it in a gun vise and srted to remove the plug screws from the scope mounting holes while asking about what I wanted. He didn't check to see that the gun was unloaded and I experienced my first note of misapprehension.
Next he got the bases and rings (standare Leupold 2-piece bases and rings) I wanted from the wall, and then stated "I've never installed this kind, only the Weaver bases." (Worry point number 2.) So, he asked the other guy at the gun counter to do it, who said that it would be no problem. This guy looked to be in his mid-40's and had a name badge that said he was a manager. So, I'm thinging that I got a knowlwdgable person instead of a young Skippy and things should be good.
Wrong!
He starts by lining up the bases on the rifle and putting the mounting screws in with no thread locker. I mention thread locker and he says he doesn't use it because the screws might break if you try to remove them. I motion to the tube or RED Loctitie on the counter and say that you're supposed to use BLUE, because red is too strong. He says it's not needed and continues.
Now, I really should have called it quits right there, but for some reason I let him continue....
So gets out the torque driver and starts to complain about how he can't find the right Torx bit. After trying 3 bits, he settles on a bit that is clearly one size too small and begins to tighten the screws. I'm watching the bit rotate in the screw, rounding off the edges, until it grips enough to make the torque drive pop. Everything the bit slips I cringe a little bit. I mention that the bit is slipping in the screw recess and rounding off the edges. He tells me that's just the torque driver popping. (Believe me, I know the difference). On the second screw, the tip of the bit sheers off and stays stuck in the screw head. So he digs it out with a pocket knife and then looks a little more and finds the right sized bit.
By this time, I'm thinking I really need to get out of here while my gun is still serviceable. I mention that I'm concerned about the screws he's already rounded off and he says he can use new screws. Then I mention the Loctite again and he says, "I just double torque them and they stay put just fine."
So, despite what EVERY manufacturer of scopes, bases, rings and guns says, you're just going to skip the Loctite and double the recommended torque on the screws?!?!?! I'd had enough. I politley ask him to take the bases off of my rifle and give me back my gun so I could go to a different gun store where they actually know how to install a scope. He kind of gives me a blank look and then shrugs and says, "OK." I couldn't get out of there fast enough!
I think I'm going to call the store manager tomorrow and tell him about my experience before this guy ruins someone's rifle. Monday, I'll go down to Euless Guns and Ammo and get the job done right. Lesson learned.
